WINTHROP — Tie games often mean different things to different teams.
That was the case Monday when Winthrop left the field after a 1-1 tie against Lisbon as if it had just lost. Lisbon, on the other hand, left the field in a joyous rush as if it had played its best game of the season.
In fact, the Greyhounds had. They entered the game at 1-5 in Mountain Valley Conference play while the Ramblers came in at 7-0.
“It’s about time we woke up and played with some grit,” Lisbon coach Julie Petrie said. “Winthrop’s a great team and worth some (Heal) points.”
The statistics were as one-sided as they come. The Ramblers put 26 shots on the Lisbon goal and senior goalie Mikaylia Harnden (25 saves) while the Greyhounds managed just five against Winthrop. Penalty corners also ran in Winthrop’s favor, 26-3.
In addition to Harnden, Winthrop’s field may have been its greatest opponent.
“It really is,” Winthrop coach Jess Merrill said. “We spend a lot of time in practice doing our corners because we know the field is so bouncy and it’s just getting worse as the season’s going on. And we couldn’t adjust to the bumpiness.”
The Greyhounds scored first following a corner of their own late in the first half when junior Sydney Plourde put the ball in after taking a pass from Jasmine Giffin. The Ramblers tied the game 5:30 into the second half, also following a corner. This time, Moriah Hajduk passed to Hanna Caprara, who blasted a shot that rattled off the backboard.
From there, it was an exercise in frustration for the Ramblers, who had the ball in Lisbon’s end of the field for 28 of the 30 minutes in the second half and the majority of the two eight-minute overtime periods.
“We played better the second half,” Winthrop midfielder Kate Perkins said. “We had good shots but they were just going right into pads. Usually we can get it on the second of third rebound but they would just bat it right out.”
The 7-on-7 overtime periods were more of the same as the Ramblers stormed the Lisbon end but couldn’t put any of their four shots past Harnden.
“She’s stepped it up her senior year,” Petrie said. “She’s really upped her game since her junior season.”
“It’s our home field so we’re kind of used to it,” added Winthrop leading scorer Kinli DiBiase. “But it can be a little frustrating at times. I just couldn’t get out of my own today.”
For all of Winthrop’s chances. The Greyhounds had the best of the final 42 minutes when Plourde had a 1-on-1 chance against Winthrop goalie Aiva Agri with three minutes left in the second overtime. Agri came out of 10 feet from her cage to cut down the angle and turn away a hard shot.
“We haven’t really been pressed a whole lot at the defensive end this year,” Merrill said. “They only went down a few times and they were able to out it in so we’ve got some work to do in practice.”
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